


On Loss and Everything That Follows

by minispice



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Awkward Sexual Situations, Falling In Love, Friends to Lovers, Good Boyfriend Kibana | Raihan, Grief/Mourning, Loss, Loss of Virginity, Love Confessions, M/M, Overworking, Panic Attacks, Post-Pokemon Sword & Shield, References to Depression, Semi-Public Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-27
Updated: 2020-07-27
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:28:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24925411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/minispice/pseuds/minispice
Summary: Dealing with loss is never quick. The aftermath lingers like smoke from a dying flame; it suffocates you, holds onto to you, refusing to be washed out.Reigniting a lost fire takes time, patience, and love. Something Leon would struggle with after his defeat.
Relationships: Dande | Leon/Kibana | Raihan
Comments: 4
Kudos: 75





	On Loss and Everything That Follows

**Author's Note:**

> This came to me in a dream so admittedly, not the most original topic and it's a little self indulgent, but I wanted to see if I could write Leon going through a bunch of emotions. I love seeing my fav chars suffer for a bit, but who doesnt right??? Sorry if it's weird, I'm still rusty! 
> 
> There is awkward sexy times later on!! Enjoy I hope!

Leon was barely holding it together. 

In a flash he had lost his 15 year unbeatable streak for ~~his~~ the Championship Title. Gone. Just like that. 

As soon as his last Pokémon went down, he pulled his hat down over his eyes, tears welling up close to overflowing but never breaching the dam. His whole body shook with utter dissapointment, followed by a swift chill running across his spine. For a good second he forgot where he was, spacing out as the stadium lights dimmed low, turning everything pitch black. He sunk deep, deep into the ground, being pulled by a fearsome invisible force, and watched as the world ascended without him. Time had slowed to a agonizing crawl, the cheers, his breathing coming to a screeching halt. 

They didn't **need** him anymore. 

Suddenly, the color came rushing back, the loud roar of the crowd around him sending him crashing back to reality, and he quickly regained his posture... whether he was ready to or not.

He tossed his hat into the air; forcibly decrowning himself and pushing a smile through the despair as he praised the new Champion through his teeth. Of course he was happy for the kid in a way, but he would be lying to himself if he said he wasn't 100% crushed.

Devastated. 

Destroyed.

His composure held "steady" as thousands of cameras and mics were shoved in his face for the after battle interview. Steady was how it looked to everyone else, he was no stranger to having to put on a face in front of the cameras before as he had done it plenty of times. But those were after victories. This was the first time he ever had to be vultured by the media after a loss, something only his opponents dealt it. Not him. It took every ounce of his willpower to keep that smile up. Leon knew that if he ever stopped smiling, even for one second, he would absolutely crumble into itty bitty pieces. 

But he couldn't do that. 

Not in front of the people who formerly/still kinda adored him, and **definitely** not in front of his little brother Hop. Nope. No way. He had to put on a strong, brave face no matter what. So many people bombarded him with compliments and the like but they often had the opposite effect. 

What might have been said as _"I'm proud of you for handling yourself so well!"_ and _"Good job lasting as Champion this long!"_ came out as _"Look at him, what a sore loser!"_ and _"He couldn't even make it past 25, what a joke"_ to Leon. His smile was so fake to the reporters and everyone around him that it truly disgusted him to his very core. 

"Excuse me for a moment! I need to make a call!" Leon told them in a sickeningly upbeat voice, excusing himself calmly till he was out of sight before booking it to a secret spot behind the stadium, vomiting his guts out once the coast was clear. Leon's vision was getting dizzy, and holding everything in was making it worse. He wanted to scream and cry and curse to the heavens but simply denied himself the right to do so.

Someone would hear him, someone might have heard him barfing somehow. If anyone saw how _weak_ he really he-

He covered his mouth and grasped at his stomach, bending over to vomit again. He gasped desperately for a stable breath, wiping his forehead that was just d r e n c h e d in sweat. Oh gross. _Super gross_. He had to get back to the reporters soon before they sent anyone to look for him, just the scenario of that riddled him with so much hypothetical anxiety it preemptively gave him ulcers. Or at least that's what it felt like.

He made a quick stop in the locker room to wipe himself off and to change into a fresh shirt. He always kept spares in his locker, usually in case of battle damage, and this case; a ocean amount of sweat pouring out from said pits could definitely count.

He swiftly fixed up his makeup and hair before stepping back into the death circle and sat back down, that damned masked smile of his covering up the anxious wreck of a face that hid behind it. This was fine. He was fine.

He most certainly was **not** fine.

It was a very, VERY agonizing two hours of PR work and such after his match concluded. He stepped outside finally free from the media and instantly felt like he wanted to die. His chest was pounding and his stomach was twisting, his normally strong legs felt like they could give out from under him at any second.

_[Bzzzt! Incoming phone call-]_

"AGGHHHH!!!!" Leon jumped into the air like he had been shocked with Thunder, his hair standing on end like a spooked cat. Oh Arceus, it was only his phone...just his phone. Leon took a couple of breaths before turning his Rotom Phone over to see who was calling him....oh no....it was his **mother**.

He wasn't sure how much social energy he had left after today, but he did his best to rein it in and breathe the best he could. He couldn't in good conscious ignore his mum after all.

One more deep breath. Okay, go. 

_-boop-_

"Heeeeyyy Mum! Hope you weren't watchin' the telly hahA!" He cringed. Wow he wasn't selling this very well, but hoped it was enough to fool her as horrible as that sounded. 

_["Don't be daft, of course I was watching! You were brilliant as always. Anyhoo, I was wondering if you would be coming back to Postwick with Hop for a spell, to relax some!"]_

Leon's eyes widened and he gulped probably too loud. Back to Postwick? Where there would be people non stop pitying him and waiting for him to crack like a porcelain plate? Just the thought made him itchy all over.

Cripes he hated declining her offer, especially since he had done so many times before in the past because of his job...ex job...former job...couldn't even make enough time for his family...what a bad son he was...oop-

_**'Keep it together for mum, don't spiral yet, keep it together keep it together keep it together-'** _

He cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his head with his free hand. "Ah....sorry mum! Uh Chairman or rather- Ex Chairman Rose left quite a mess with his tower and what not. I got stuff to do still...soon though, yeah?"

She sighed for a moment before responding, Leon could hear the slight disappointment in her voice clear as day. His body began to heat up, his heart tightening at the slight change in tone.

_["Oh it's quite alright dear! I should have guessed a Champion's job is never done! Oh I'm sorry luv, you know what I mean."]_

__

__

Leon screeched internally. "No worries mum, love ya bye!" He hung up the phone with blinding speed and shoved it back in his pocket. Gasping for air like a pathetic Magikarp, flopping around begging for the sweet release of death, but it never came, and it never would. 

At 1% energy he released Charizard from its pokeball and crawled onto its back, hugging it with all the strength he had left at the moment. 

"Take us home, mate..." was all he could get out before passing out. Charizard grunted sadly, knowing what its trainer was going through all too well. It took to the skies was airborne for about five minutes before touching down at Leon's apartment. 

It opened his balcony door with its claw and brought him inside, laying him down on the couch gently before returning back to its pokeball. 

It was a brief moment of peace for the Leon's mind. Quiet. Restful. 

It was nice while it lasted.

Seconds later his gold eyes shot open, shining brightly in the dark before squinting as he strained to pull himself up. His loss played over and over in his memory like a broken tape, every mistake getting shoved right back in his face. Leon gasped, shaking his head before attempting to pull off his shirt with extreme effort, getting stuck halfway because it was just so damn tight. He waggled back and forth like a struggling worm for a bit there, finally getting himself free of the restricting cloth a few seconds later. 

He groaned as he stood up, reluctantly dragging himself slowly to the bathroom. Leon didn't even bother turning on the light-he knew looked like shit. It honestly would have only made him feel even worse. He reached the sink and turned on the cold water, splashing his face a few times before stopping to lean over, his hands on either side of the counter.

Arceus he was so tired...his entire body felt so heavy, like he was being tied down with bricks underneath the water, waiting to drown. But as soon as he closed his eyes for longer than six seconds his match would start to replay. Then the voices would come and echo, bouncing around in his mind, clawing, pulling at him without end. They never stopped.

He donked his head against the mirror, the need-no, the primal _want_ to cry boiling up inside him so much his chest hurt. But he couldn't. Even being alone in his apartment he couldn't, and he had no idea why.

He changed fully out of his Champion gear and tossed it all in the garbage without looking back. He put on his pajamas and pulled back his hair into a loose ponytail before setting himself down at his chair next to his work desk.

He had to do something, anything to keep his mind occupied. Thinking back to what he told his mother, he started to write down ideas about what he could do with the remnants of Rose Tower. Scribbling away well into the next morning, and the days after that.

  


\- - -

  
The former employees of Macro Cosmos all shared a look of worry between them as they watched the former Champion run himself ragged. To the untrained eye and from a distance he looked...decent, somewhat manageable, but the closer you got to him the easier it was to see that something was wrong. Normally, his hair was perfectly planned chaos, but now it had become wild and _truly_ chaotic, fringes and strands going every which way. His posture was slightly hunched over instead of proper, and his face... oh lordt his face. 

His eyes were red with dark rings under them from the lack of sleep, and he just looked....really _really_ drained. It had been a while after his loss and here he was putting himself head first into a new project. The employees sympathized with him, truly they did, but someone had to say something. 

A group of employees huddled in a circle watching Leon from afar. He was reading(?) some documents on a clipboard he had been handed earlier...only he had been on the same page for quite some time now. More than likely he was caught in a loop of reading the same thing over and over again while failing to realize it. 

They all squinted in an collective 'yikes' and began to whisper amongst themselves. 

"Someone has to go talk to him!" 

"I-I wouldn't know what to say to the guy! I mean...look at him!" 

"He needs to go home and rest! He looks terrible" 

"Sshhtshhtshht- someone just go!" 

"Wait no- why meEE!" 

They shoved a young lady who went by the name Annalisa toward him and proceeded to duck back behind a desk, motioning for her to go on. She turned back to the group and made a stank face at them, both parties doing silent charades that were increasing in vulgar gestures before Annalisa finally turned around. Taking a deep breath she made her way toward Leon; who was completely out of it and oblivious to the circus taking part right next to him. 

She inched closer and closer, stopping a little bit away from him, and did the fake lil cough one would do to get someone's attention. 

"Um, ahem- Mr. Leon?" 

No answer, so she tried again. 

"Ah-hemhem, Mr. Leon?" 

No answer again. She gulped, raising her hand slowly to his arm, giving it a gentle tap. 

"Mr. Leo-" 

"AH!!!" In surprise he flung the clipboard way over his head, sending it **SMACK!** right into a wall. The clattering sound it made when it connected to the floor made everyone wince. 

Leon looked around before seeing the young lady before him, and the group of employees behind her. He straightened up and cleared his throat, blushing slightly. He wasn't doing a very good job convincing anyone that he was okay, and that's because he wasn't. At all. Still, he attempted to put on a fake smile. 

"Oh, M-Miss Annalisa! H-how *ahem* how can I help you...?" _'Reeeeeal smooth there Leon'_

She fake coughed again, looking Leon in the eye... boy the air was awkward right about now. 

"Erm, I-we were all just thinking that youuu um, should go home and get some sleep! You've just been working so hard for so long, we hardly see you rest y'know....seeing you come in every single day for a month since-" Annalisa stiffened up immediately, stopping herself from continuing that sentence. She could just feel the collective cringe aura going off behind her, in front she could see Leon's eyes widen. 

The air suddenly got tense, an uncomfortable silence filling the room. Leon straightened up, not taking his gaze off the girl. 

"A month?? What do you mean a month? I-it..was...happened-only five days ago..?"

A pit of regret formed in her stomach and she quickly gestured with her hands waving in front of her. "I-um-nevermind that!! What I mean Mr. Leon sir is, we're all worried about you! So you should go home and get some rest!" 

Tentatively, the other employees stepped out from behind their hiding space and nodded quietly in agreement. 

Shit... _ **shit!** _He screwed up. Leon was so focused with working on fixing the Tower to convince everyone he was fine, (and to avoid being alone with his thoughts) thay he ended up losing himself in the dark abyss that was time. Had it really been a whole ass **month?** He still felt the fresh wounds of his defeat like it was yesterday...how did he possibly not realize a whole month was missing from his memory? Swiftly, he forced a bigger smile upon his face, waving his hand in a back and forth motion desperately trying to salvage his presence. __

____

____

"Right-I mean, no need for concern everyone! I'm fine! Really! I guess I've been just so wrapped up in making plans for the Tower, I'm too excited to sleep! That's all!" For a entire month though? The excuse was extremely weak, even for him. 

Leon laughed halfheartedly, hoping to Arceus they bought it, but truth be told he wouldn't blame them if they didn't. He definitely wouldn't believe himself, either. 

Annalisa and the rest sighed, of course seeing through his facade, but they couldn't judge too harshly. They collectively decided to spare him from his spacial confusion and proceeded to inform him of...other concerns. 

"Be that as it may, sir, the fact is before I uh talked to you, you were reading the same piece of paper for nearly 20 minutes..." 

"Oh, was I now? Haha..." he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly and looked away. He didn't have an excuse for that one. 

"And I saw you run into the wall a couple times. OK a lot of times." 

"Oh, well-" 

"You also drank plant water sir." 

"That does explains the green taste..." 

"Not to mention that you only eat granola bars and nothing else. In fact I barely see you break for lunch!"

"I...I'm going through an oat phase...? 

Leon scratched his neck, feeling the heat of embarrassment rise up with each mention of his actions. With a gentle touch, Annalisa's fingertips graced his arm, and looked at him with kind, but firm eyes. 

"Please, Mr. Leon. We're happy to have you here helping with the Tower, of course but... you'd be more help to everyone here if you went home, and got some rest." 

At that, Leon's eyes snapped open and his body tensed up. In a instant the voices had swarmed him in full force. 

_'They want you out of the way because you're just that useless.'_

_'You failed at such a simple task, what's wrong with you?'_

_'Look at how they're looking at you, with disgust. I bet they regret being forced to work for you now. '_

Leon clenched his eyes shut, gritting his teeth. He had already dropped the ball today, digging himself into a deeper hole than before. He desperately clawed to the walls of the sinking abyss, trying with all his might not to lose himself. 

He so badly wanted to say he needed to stay here to work. He couldn't go home to rest. He **can't**. If he did the voices would never stop and he feared he would never wake up. His fingers felt numb as his whole body began to shake, the words hanging on the tip on his tongue but refusing to leave, suffocating him. 

To Leon this seemed to go on for hours, but it was only a couple of seconds. Realizing they were still waiting on a answer, he relented, nodding softly. "Yeah...okay. I'll go home." Arceus he hated how pathetic he sounded, like a scolded child who got in trouble. The employees smiled warmly and called Leon a Flying Taxi, telling him to take the next week or so off before they sent him on his way home. 

Leon knew they were only trying to help, but the mere prospect of being alone with nothing but his thoughts for that long terrified him. If he spaced out into the void before then... 

He placed his forehead against the glass dejectedly, watching as they got a tiny bit further away from the Tower. It wasn't long before he arrived home, opening the door to a dark apartment, kicking off his shoes, the same song and dance. 

Leon flopped onto the couch and sank into the cushions, staring up at the ceiling watching nothing. He was like this for a good couple minutes before his butt vibrated, signifying a notification from his Rotom Phone who then promptly flew out of his pocket and floated next to his face, illuminating the shadowed room. 

_-Bzzzt!-_ [Reminder that you have one unwatched video message still and 107 voicemails in total sir! Would you like to play it?] 

Like a fire was lit under his ass, Leon shot up instantly to snatch his phone out of the air, shaking it like madman. 

"NOPE! Nope nope nope, don't play them, don't you dare-" 

_-Bzzzt!-_ [Playing most recent video message, Raihan, four days ago, 3:35 PM] 

_-Beep!-_

_'Hey Champ!'_

Raihan's voice filled the apartment, changing the mood entirely. Leon let go of the phone gently and let it hover in front of him. Seeing Raihan's face and hearing his voice; even on video, soothed the panic in Leon's heart. Putting it at ease at least for this moment. A soft smile, a real one this time, pulled at the corners of his mouth, his gold eyes catching the phone's reflection. 

_'Hope you're just in the shitter or somethin' and not purposely ignorin' my handsome mug or anythin' like that, haha!'_

Leon couldn't help but chuckle at Raihan's way with words. So easily his former rival had gotten the first genuine laugh out of him for the first time since his loss. It was something so simple, and yet his heart clung to this feeling for dear life. He settled back into the cushions of his couch, allowing himself to really relax, not taking his eyes off the screen even once. 

_Anyway, it's been a while and all. I just wanted to check in on you, mate and see how you're holding up. I'm sure you've gotten a ton of these messages already, real original, right?'_

Raihan's words were swirling around Leon's body, resonating within him. They were quite literally music to his ears, and soothed him to his very core. 

Leon began to breath heavily, resting his head in his hands at the fact that he was a complete and utter mess. He was sad, angry and just...just frustrated at everything that was bottled up inside. He wanted to scream, he wanted to cry; to someone...anyone! At the same time however, he didn't want anyone to see or know, which royally fucked him up on the inside. 

He had already worried his future employees...and he hated how they looked at him. With pity...disgust...having to take care of him like a kid. He hated himself for sinking so low...who would wanna hear his bullshit any way? 

_'Well I won't talk your ear off mate, just...please give me a ring when you get this! I mean it!'_

Leon's head snapped up to see Raihan's frozen face on his phone. The message had ended, the returning silence around him crept up again, filling his ears- but Leon wasn't having it. He pressed the replay button and started the message over again. 

_'Hey Champ!'_

His heart was beating slightly faster than normal, smiling at the video once more. 

Raihan...he had been...he was his greatest rival, and also one of his best mates. They fought so fiercely on the battlefield time and time again, preforming the special dance they had between them in front of roaring crowds for the past couple years or so. He had seen him at his highs and lows through the ages, and strangely... the notion of Leon potentially baring his soul to the Dragon King was....freeing. 

Leon readjusted himself on the couch to lay flat, giving a command to Rotom before his eyes shut on him. 

"Rotom...put that message on repeat for me please..." 

The phone complied and played the message all night, filling the air with a calming warmth. Leon sighed with relief as he drifted off without a stir, finally experiencing the best sleep he's had in a long time. 

\- - -

The week or so that Leon was supposed to use for resting were absolutely agonizing. Mainly for the usual reason, but this time another obstacle was added on.

When he wasn't scribbling down ideas for the Tower, he was trying to put together a text to send to Raihan, much to the dismay of his Rotom.

Leon insisted on typing out the text with his own fingers, and held the Rotom Phone in a death grip for hours and _hours_ on end. Every day it would be like this.

He would type something, then delete. Type, almost send, then delete. Rinse, repeat. He paced around his apartment so much that his legs and feet grew sore, but it didn't stop him. 

Leon at least had some braincells to open a writing app first to scribe his attempts instead of the actual text messenger, the last thing he wanted was Raihan to see the little bubble notification that said he was writing only for it to disappear and reappear several times. For days. Over and over and over... 

A sweatdrop formed over the poor Rotom's face as Leon once again deleted what he had wrote, groaning loudly while he threw himself onto his bed face down. 

_-bzzzt-_ [Please let me write this for you sir...your hands are so incredibly sweaty and wet...] 

"Oh my bad," he said without looking up, letting go, allowing Rotom to float out and dry itself off on his bed sheets. Afterward it stayed hovering in front of him; just out of grabbing distance, waiting for Leon's next command. 

Instead there was a overly drawn out sigh with grumbling at the end as Leon stayed put facing down. 

"Sorry mate, I just..." he sighed again, turning over this time, and placed his arm over his forehead. His half lidded eyes staring wistfully at the still ceiling fan, collecting dust. 

"It's a pretty big thing to talk about and...with everything going on I..." 

His cheeks flushed a light shade of pink as he moved his arm down to cover his eyes, and let out a whisper so hushed like he was trying to prevent anyone from hearing even though he was alone, not counting Rotom. 

_"What if he says no?"_

Leon's heart clenched at the very thought. That if after gathering up all his broken pieces and spilling his feelings to his rival, to tell him that he liked him and wanted to take him on expressway to bone town. To kiss him and be able to call Raihan his b-boyfriend...after all that and be told no? 

Surely he would cease to function, to fade away into dust for his ceiling fan to collect over time. He wouldn't be able to survive another loss. 

Was it dramatic? Of course it was but everything lately felt so extreme that he didn't know how to process these emotions. Leon felt pathetic before, but now he felt extra EXTRA pathetic. First losing his 15 year unbeatable streak, then not sleeping well, next somehow forgetting an entire month, which resulted in being told to go home, and now fretting over his feelings for his best friend...how was it possible to feel so young and so old at the same time??? It felt like he had regressed and aged in the span of almost two weeks now. Talk about whiplash, whew. 

He pulled himself up, feeling drained already, and rested his elbows on his thighs. He closed his eyes, feeling the burn from staring at the screen for so long. Rotom hovered after him and placed itself on his knee, looking up at its distressed owner. 

_-bzzt-!_ [You won't know until you try, Leon] it hummed, opening up the actual chat window to Raihan this time, offering him a small smile. 

Gold eyes widened in slight surprise, a small huff of amusement escaping from an equally small smile. 

"That's easy for you to say, you're a phone. You don't have to worry about stuff like this." 

[Your worries are my worries, sir.] _-bzzt-!_ Rotom hummed, placing itself gently back into Leon's hand. 

Quite honestly, he was truly and genuinely touched to receive such kindness, from his Rotom Phone no less. However the smile faded away as he pulled the phone closer to his heart. He couldn't help but feel a bit of guilt that was creeping in due to the fact that he was spreading his sadness and problems like a disease, effecting others when it should only be effecting him. 

Leon sighed heavily, bringing his phone back to wait level and began typing. 

__[Raihan,_ _

__Meet me on the roof of the formerly known as Rose Tower tonight at 10._ _

__Leon]_ _

_Annnnd send._

__-boop-_ _

And off it went, just like that. 

It was definitely much shorter and more informal than his previous attempts, but it got the bare minimum done. The actual content of this meet up would be revealed later. 

_-beep!-_ A reply already?! He should have known Raihan wouldn't keep him waiting like Leon did to him. He took a deep breath and peaked at the chat. 

_[See you there, Champ! ✌]_

Oh god this was really happening. Leon's stomach twisted into knots. Groaning, he grabbed his abdomen as he flopped back down onto his bed with a grimace on his face. The realization of what he did, or rather, what he plans to do settling in all at once. 

Miserable, he turned his head to look at his alarm clock on his bedside. 4:30 blinked off and on mockingly in his face, resulting in another loud groan that echoed around the room. 

"Rotom...I think I'm gonna barf." He said, five seconds before disaster struck. 

10 o'clock couldn't come soon enough. 

\- - - 

_'The roof of whats left of Rose Tower, huh.'_

Raihan eyed the text once more, tapping his foot on the lift as he passed by the floors upon floors of the tower. He was happy to finally hear a peep out of his friend, very happy in fact. Raihan didn't outwardly show it but he was incredibly worried about Leon after his big loss. At first he was pissed that it wasn't him who beat him, but after he saw his after-battle interviews he knew he would have to toss those childish feelings aside. 

He could instantly tell Leon was handling it by not actually handling it at all. Raihan had the unique skill, especially with Leon, of being able to notice if his smiles were real or fake. Since he's known him, all of Leon's past media appearances held real, genuine smiles that could light up the whole room. But this one...there wasn't a real one to be found the entire time. And that proved to be very worrisome. 

Raihan definitely didn't want to swarm him right after, despite how much he wanted to. He figured giving the former Champion time to breathe was the best course of action, but as time went on there was nothing. 

No reaching out, no visits. The Dragon King admitted he was slightly hurt but tried not to hold it against the guy. He was really going through it after all. 

After a good three weeks or so Raihan took the plunge and gave him a ring. It went straight to voicemail, and he left such a generic message he cringed as soon as he hung up. He realized he panicked just a bit when Leon didn't pick up, but quickly stopped himself from assuming the worse. Leon didn't deserve that, especially not now. 

He had wanted to say that he cared about him, and that he was worried for him. It was a very rare occurrence, but the Meowth had got his tongue. He didn't want it to come off as making it about how HE felt, and put more stress on the dethroned king of Galar. If he made Leon aware that he had been worrying people, no doubt it would have made things worse. 

"Arceus, this thing is fuckin' tall. Probably as big as Rose's ego, heheh." 

He snickered at his own joke right as the lift reached the last floor. Perfect timing! 

The large metal doors opened slowly, revealing the way to the rooftop. Everything was so bright that it obscured the view, even when Raihan shielded his eyes with his hand it did little to help. 

Well, this was it. He made his way toward his destination, every footstep sounding incredibly and obnoxiously loud. It was a good thing he wasn't trying to sneak around otherwise his location would instantly be put on blast. 

Finally after seemed like years, he reached the roof that doubled as a Pokémon battle arena. It was a wide open area with a spacious ceiling to accommodate Dynamaxing, honestly iy was breathtaking....but that wasn't what Raihan was focused on. 

In the middle of the arena stood Leon, who was facing the other direction with his arms crossed and his head down. He was wearing casual clothes, a simple gym jersey with basketball shorts. He had never seen Leon so dressed down before, but that violet hair was unmistakable. 

As soon as the door shut behind Raihan he looked up and swiftly turned around. His face overall looked...pretty rough, but a genuine smile formed and his eyes beamed when he saw his rival arrive. 

"Raihan!" He said breathlessly, almost in disbelief. "You...you really came...!" 

Raihan smirked as he rubbed the back of his head, walking toward Leon at a steady pace. 

"Of course I did, you called me here didn't you?" He stopped in front of him, towering slightly over. Looking down at Leon with a warm smile. "Now...mind tellin' me what we're doin all the way up here nearly touchin' Heavens arse?" 

Leon turned his head away and covered his mouth to stifle a laugh. He could hear Raihan chuckle, which Leon then gently slapped him on the shoulder. 

"Sorry sorry!" He flashed a toothy grin, showing off his fang. 

Leon flushed red. That damn smile of his and everything about him was so effortless. It simultaneously put ease on Leon's mind while also causing his stomach flip all over the place. He took a deep breath as Raihan put both hands up in a 'I surrender' pose before shoving them back in his hoodie pockets. 

"Go on then, Leon. I'll keep my mouth shut this time." 

Leon looked up at him, gold shimmering eyes meeting his piercing blue ones. Some might call them cold, but Leon felt nothing but comfort while getting lost in them. His face tinted a deeper red, his heart was pounding and he could just feel the sweat forming upon his forehead. 

_Another deep breath._

"Raihan..." 

This was it. 

"I fuck you!" 

A beat. 

" _Pardon???_ " Raihan's lazy lids were wide open. 

Leon's hair poofed up as his hands waved wildly all over the place, eyes bulging out of their sockets. 

"NO!!!! LIKE!!! I mean I LIKE you!!! I like you and I want you to fu-- _oh my god"_

Instantly he buried his radioactive crimson face in his hands, shaking his head with threat level 1 embarrassment. That's it. He fucked up. He couldn't even confess right. There was absolutely no hope for him. 

A soft chuckle escaped from Raihan's lips as he slowly put his large hands over Leon's, pulling them down away from his face, holding them tenderly. Kind, blue eyes gazed upon Leon, who kept his own clenched shut. 

Cripes this was too adorable. Raihan was so incredibly endeared and amused, it took all his will power not to bust a gut laughing. Not because he wanted to make fun of him of course, but merely because of the irony of it all. Here stood his formidable rival of many years melting into a puddle because of botched confession. Little did Leon know that he felt the same way. 

Raihan hunched down slightly to be closer to Leon's eye level, still holding his hands in his larger ones. 

"Mate, I have to say I'm touched! Though I didn't think I was worth all this fuss, haha!" 

_Mistakes were made._

Leon yanked his hands out from Raihan's and stared at him straight in the eyes, his golden eyes flaring. 

"Don't **laugh** at me, Raihan! This isn't a joke!" 

Immediately Raihan felt instant regret and put his hands up, taking one foot back to give his friend some space. 

"I know, I know! Sorry I didn't mean to-" 

Leon wasn't having it. He stepped closer and got right back in his rivals face, cheeks burning hot. 

"I did NOT spend days stressing over this, just for you to laugh at me! If you weren't interested you could have just-...told...before I..." he clenched his fists and looked down, his heart pounding against his chest. He felt like such a fool, on top of everything else. No, bigger than that. He felt like a whole ass clown. 

"Whoa whoa, hang on there luv," Raihan lowered his hands to cup Leon's face, gently titling his head back up to look at him again. Leon's sun-kissed eyes widened and his heart skipped a beat, waiting on baited breath. 

"Please point out to me where I said I wasn't interested in you." Raihan offered him his signature smile, the one that could always sing to Leon's heart. Leon himself stayed frozen in the Dragon King's grasp for a good couple seconds, before slowly raising his right hand to caress Raihan's. This was real. 

Leon swallowed. His gold eyes shimmering. "You-you are?" 

His rival nodded, accompanied by a small chuckle. "Yeah, and if you still wanted to fuck, I'd be down!" 

Laughter couldn't help but erupt from the two as Leon playfully shoved Raihan away, face red as ever. He rubbed the back of his neck bashfully, a small smile forming at his lips. 

"Rai please be serious." 

"Excuse you, I am incredibly serious." Raihan retorted, his smile never leaving his face. He took a step closer to Leon, and gently grabbed his chin, turning his face slowly to face his own. 

Leon's heart skipped another beat as he gazed into the bright blue oceans that were Raihan's eyes. The lights of the stadium walls around them illuminating him in all the right ways. His rival was always handsome, incredibly so. But in this moment he looked just... _gorgeous_. A beautiful beacon shining through the ever growing darkness that surrounded Leon's mind, guiding him, showing him the way. 

"Can I kiss you?" Leon blurted out, gasping for the breathe he didn't realize he was holding. Never once breaking eye contact. 

Raihan let out a small hum of approval. "That and more, babe." 

Hesitant at first, Leon leaned forward, gently placing his lips against Raihan's. He expected them to be a little bit rough due to the nature of how extreme dragon Pokémon fights can be...but no. They were firm, strong, and smooth, and most of all they were comforting. He melted into them, placing his hands upon Raihan's chest for support, leaning into him. 

Raihan cupped one hand around the back of Leon's head, and the other around his waist, holding him just tight enough as if he could break away at any moment. If he had to be honest, his rival tasted a little sweaty but that didn't really matter to Raihan right now. It was just overwhelming how good he felt in his arms, so warm and soft. 

Leon's hands moved to the bottom of Raihan's hoodie, slipping his hands under it, giving his rival a hint that he wanted it gone. Raihan smirked with a satisfied hum and tugged it off over his head, throwing it to the side. They somehow maneuvered down to the stadium floor, which was actually quite smooth, as well as a tiny bit cold from the metal. 

Raihan let Leon take the reins and followed his lead, happy to go wherever this path was leading. Being the Hammerlocke Gym leader and resident social media and selfie ho, Raihan knew his way around several bodies of varying types. Nothing would stick past two days or so, but that's just how it was. Leon on the other hand was kept out of the dating scene most his life mainly due to requests from the Chairman or his Sponsors. That meant he wasn't as experienced with things such as relationships, sex and such as others. No doubt it would have built up quite a bit of frustration on his end, so now Leon was free to explore the things he couldn't have, and Raihan would gladly let him. 

Leon's kisses moved down Raihan neck, planting gentle pecks onto his collarbone, making his rival moan with delight. Leon continued downward, lifting up Raihan's shirt to leave a trail of kisses from his glorious chest to his toned abs, and finally right above his waistband. Raihan's face was flushed with a deep color, having a great time clearly, but regardless of how good he felt he still had a responsibility to uphold. 

"Now when you said you wanted to fuck me, mate - still all for it- but uh did you mean right here right now?" He accentuated his point by pointing all around in reference to their surroundings. True, they were so up high no one could possibly hear them, and no one would be coming in to interrupt them since the Tower was still technically closed. However of all places he imagined having sex with his best friend, it definitely wasn't here. 

"Is-is that okay?" Leon said breathlessly, looking up at him with admittedly hopeful eyes. He knew he was being overly eager at the moment, but his body was craving Raihan's sweet touch. He didn't want to admit that if the issue at hand wasn't taken care of right now then he absolutely lose it. 

Raihan pondered for a second before shrugging his shoulders, flashing a crooked grin. "Sure, if this the place of your choice then why the hell not? Now I can cross 'shag on the top of the tallest peak' off my bucket list at least!" He laughed lightly to himself, pushing upward on his elbows to reach over to Leon, brushing some violet strands aside, tucking them behind his ear. 

"Let me help you out some, alright luv? C'mere." 

Leon nodded and crawled toward Raihan, straddling himself on his lap. The sight alone drove Raihan wild, feeling his cock twitch down below. He bit his lip to keep himself under control, moving his hands back onto Leon's back, traveling down the curvature of his spine, ending up at the waistband of his shorts. 

He gave them a light tug, but waited til Leon responded with a slight nod of approval, his hot breath swirling against Raihan's cheek, getting heavier with each passing moment. With some effort and teamwork, the shorts were off, and Leon's underwear followed close behind. Raihan couldn't help but gaze down at the freed member springing to life at the touch of cool air, grinning at the sight before him. 

Leon felt the heat in his cheeks get redder, his heart was beating faster and faster, clinging on to Raihan's shoulders for dear life. Shuddering at the fact that he was exposing himself to his best friend in such circumstances. Raihan pulled Leon closer, licking his fingers before snaking them around Leon's ass, pressing against his entrance. 

"O-oh!!" Arching his back, Leon gasped tightening his grip on Raihan's shirt while burying his face into his neck. Raihan dug his fingers in deeper, eliciting another moan from his partner. 

As his tight hole was being loosened up, Leon trembled at the wild sensation of the Dragon Trainer's claws up his ass. Raihan smirked, whispering in his ear, his voice low and sensual. 

"Normally I like to have my dates more prepared, but I'll still make sure you feel good, babe. Next time come to my place and I'll treat ya like the king of the fuckin' castle." 

The combination of the heat gathering in his lower half and Raihan's words were becoming tortuous. Leon reached his arms around Raihan's strong back, hugging him tightly. 

_"R-Rai...please...!"_ He whined, bucking his hips. The horny energy within him was quickly reaching its threshold. 

Raihan nodded, reaching down to tug off his own shorts just enough to release his cock from its cloth prison. It sprung to action, already aroused from the current events, happy to be free. He gave himself a quick couple pumps, getting it ready before gently guiding Leon to the right position. The tip of the head hovered over Leon's entrance, who was quivering in anticipation. 

Piercing blue eyes made contact with the half-lidded golden eyes of his partner, electricity and passion dancing between them. Raihan tenderly took Leon's hand in his free one, and rubbed his thumb over trembling knuckles. The gesture was so sweet and very much appreciated, it kept Leon grounded and it helped reassure him that he was in good hands. 

"You ready, mate?" Raihan said, softly yet still firm. Consent was something he took very seriously, especially when it came to inexperienced first timers. 

Leon nodded fervently, grasping Raihan's hand like it was an anchor, holding on for dear life for what was about to come. 

"Y-yes...yes! I'm ready!" 

He moved Leon's hands to his chest to help give him support, and gave him a quick nod as confirmation. In one smooth motion, Raihan's large hands made their way to Leon's hips, grasping them firmly as he was guided down slowly onto his thick penis. Leon gasped loudly as the head went in, stretching him like he never knew before. He was pushed down deeper and deeper, the feeling was like he was being split, but also just felt so overwhelming good he couldn't get a solid handle on his emotions. A deep moan erupted from Leon's throat as Raihan was now completely inside him, the heat alone driving him crazy. 

Raihan growled in pleasure, the reality of being inside Leon's ass was better than he could have dreamed. "F-fuck you feel amazing Leon! How you holdin' up?" 

Words failed Leon, his mouth drying up while his face burned a intense crimson. He gulped loudly, barely managing out, "Yes-good!!" Nodding once again. 

With great effort, Leon moved himself up slightly before slamming back down, both men moaning in sync. Leon's heart felt like it was going to beat right out of his chest. This feeling was so incredible, like fire and ice clashing against each other, simultaneously fighting and complimenting each other. Plus the fact that he got to share his first moment with Raihan made it all the more special. 

He repeated the motion again and again, picking up speed each time. Raihan's cock was truly something else, it reached all the right places and hit just the right spots every time. Eventually Leon pushed off of Raihan's chest and straightened his back some, the new angle allowing Raihan to seemingly impale deeper than before. 

"A-ah, ah!! R-Raihan!" Leon yelled, his breath leaving him with every bounce, tossing his head back in pleasure. Raihan grunted in delight; gripping Leon's hips like his life depended on it, thrusting upward every time Leon slammed down, his tight virgin hole sending him into the atmosphere. 

Leon's entire body was shaking as he rode Raihan's dick, every thrust leaving his breath ragged. His skin was burning one second and freezing the next, his heart beating faster than ever before. Raihan felt so unbelievably good, amazing even! However the over-stimulation of his nerves running rampant combined with every single thing that had been building and building up made the pressure simply just too much for him to handle. Suddenly, a powerful wave surged through his body; everything that was bottled up inside; good or bad, was swept up like an ocean and tsunami'd outward, crashing down all at once. 

Raihan felt liquid drop upon his stomach and instantly stopped what he was doing. He looked up in fear to find a sight he was personally dreading, his eyes wide with worry. An endless sea of tears were pouring out from Leon's eyes, his face twisted in such despair that it broke Raihan's heart in two. He hurriedly pushed himself up onto his elbows, then his palms; Leon still straddling his dick. His eyebrows were upturned in genuine concern, hands hovering over Leon's arms, not sure if it was ok or not to embrace him. 

"Whoa whoa Lee, are you ok?! What happened, did I hurt you?" 

Leon's shoulders heaved as the tears kept flowing, stinging his eyeballs. It took absolutely everything he had to remember to breath, and even then it was a struggle. He brought up his hands to try to wipe the tears away, but every time he did so, more just replaced them. 

"I-I don't know what to do! I t-tried to be okay but I'm not! I feel so l-l-los-" Leon choked through his sobs, everything spilling out against his will. He covered the waterfalls that were his eyes with his arms, unable to look at Raihan. Leon was completely and utterly embarrassed, but no matter what he did he couldn't stop crying. 

Raihan felt like a huge idiot for not picking up on this sooner. The distance, the unusual way he was acting...how could Raihan be so stupid?! His best friend was bawling his eyes out while one top of him because everything that he had built himself up to be came crumbling down in a instant, forever changed. Sure Raihan checked up on him to see how he was physically doing, but he didn't do enough to see how he was mentally doing. Raihan felt like the biggest asshole alive. 

Leon took several gasping breaths, sniffling along the way. "Everyone l-looked up at me, everyone expected great th-things from me, and I-I lost...! My whole damn life I've been good at o-one thing, and now it's gone!" He grabbed at his chest angrily, eyes still clenched shut, his face stained with tears. "I'm...I'm so frustrated! Every day it feels like I'm sinking in this **pit** of nothing while every time I close my eyes I _see_ my mistakes play over and over and I can't sleep, I can't work, and I just-I-just-j-" 

He dug his fingers into his purple hair, shaking his head side to side. His breathing began to accelerate and his eyes opened wide but had shrunken to small dots. Tears and sweat were pouring down, his body was short circuiting. His whole body tensed up, clenching everything. **Everything.**

Raihan winced, "H-hey now, hey Lee look at me!" He finally decided to grab Leon's shoulders, holding him securely. Raihan was listening and sympathizing with everything his partner was saying, and he hated seeing him like this...but he couldn't control the path that his cock was on, he was desperately getting close to release but now. Really. Wasn't. The time!!! 

Leon sunk down even lower and fell into Raihan's arms, causing said hips to jerk. He wrapped his arms around Raihan's back and held him close, getting tears and snot all over his shirt. The closeness edging Raihan closer and closer. 

"H-hey mate-" 

Leon sniffled, "Who am I...supposed to be...if I'm n-not the unbeatable Champion anymore? That's a-all I ever was and now...now I feel so _lost_ Raihan..." 

" _L-Lee..._ " 

"There's a-always been an audience, cheers, lights, the renown, people telling me what to do...but now all that's there is silence and I'm...scared---????UH!!!???." He moved slightly away at the end which completely sent Raihan over the edge. 

He grabbed Leon's hips and grunted, his hips jerking of their own volition. He tossed his head back as released himself inside Leon, who arched his back moaning, tightening his grip on Raihan's own. Raihan lost his composure and fell backwards onto the floor, taking Leon down with him. Both men were breathing heavily, emotions and hormones running high. Leon blinked, still sprawled across Raihan's torso. He put his personal episode on pause to check on his friend, who was currently covering his beet red face with his hand, sweating wildly.

"Leon...I am so... **so** sorry I- I didn't mean to-I swear I was listening to you I-"

This time a small chuckle left Leon's lips as leaned forward, lifting himself off of Raihan resulting in a small gasp. Slowly he laid himself down to place himself next to him. There was a pause, Raihan was low-key worried he had majorly fucked up and turned to him, full prepared to apologize more. But instead he found Leon staring up at the sky, smiling a real, genuine smile. Not a second later, the former Champion began laughing. It was a different kind of laughter than before, yes...this time it it sounded like much needed relief. It was music to Raihan's ears to hear him, but still he had to make sure. 

"Hey Lee, you okay mate?" 

Leon opened his eyes, they were red from the abundance of tears but they shone such a brilliant gold, the first time in a long while. He nodded lightly, turning on his side to face Raihan, brushing his nose against his. 

"Yeah...I'm good Rai, I'm good." And he meant it. All that pressure that was pressing up against his chest had dissipated, finally feeling like he was able to breathe. For just this brief moment in time, he was okay. Running off the high of his first; admittedly strange, sexual encounter. Though he wouldn't trade it for anything. 

Raihan sat up, putting his shorts on in a hurry before getting to his feet. "I saw a washroom on my way here, I'll be right back!" 

He nodded, "Okay" and watched Raihan dart toward the exit faster than light. He tried to sit up but fell immediately back down, so he resigned himself to laying there till Raihan got back. Not long after the Dragon Gym Leader returned with a hilarious amount of paper towels and a trash bag, which he was 80% sure he stole it out of the bin. The image of Raihan stealing it got a stifled laugh out of him. 

They cleaned themselves up with few words said between them. When they were done, Raihan put his hoodie on Leon to maximize his comfort, and the two of them walked over to the edge of the Tower to sit back down. Looking out onto the glorious view of Wyndon at night. Leon laid his head against the barrier, coming down from the rush of everything his body experienced in the last hour. Raihan kept his eyes locked on his friend, still worried about everything he spilled during his meltdown. He gulped slightly, 

"Hey, so...about that thing you said," he started, rubbing the back of his neck gently, nudging Leon's arm ever so slightly. 

He got a hum as a response and continued on, looking down at the glittering city. "About not knowing who you are if you aren't the Champion...the answer is pretty simple, from what I can see at least." 

Slowly, Leon turned his head, lifting it off the glass to look at his friend, who turned to meet his gaze. 

"Yeah? Can I get a hint?" He huffed a small laugh, smiling wearily with red, puffy eyes. 

Raihan smirked and held out his hand, grasping Leon's face; cupping it lovingly. He rubbed his thumb softly over his cheek, running across the tear stains. 

"Yeah. You're just Leon, and there's nothing wrong with that." 

Simple was right. Those words struck Leon's heart like lightning and he sat up swiftly, turning his whole body to face Raihan. His eyebrows were furrowed but not in anger; it was instead in perhaps confusion? Worry? Upset? He grabbed Raihan's hand and held it in his own, settled in his lap. His gold eyes bore intensely into piercing blue ones. 

"But Raihan, that's the thing! There's- there's nothing _to_ just ....me. Being the Champion was all I ever was and-" 

A dark finger rose up to his lips accompanied by Raihan shushing curtly. "Nuh uh, none of that bull. Listen, I can't imagine everything that you're feeling, but I'm not about to sit here and listen to you lie." 

Leon cocked his head slightly. "Lie?" 

"You're an amazing trainer, that's just fact. Your sense of direction is ass. You love collecting hats from the cities and gyms you visit, and you work out on your own volition, and not because your PR team told you so. You have a great, tactical mind when it comes to battles, your skill alone has inspired so many around Galar, and hell even me. That's one of the reasons I declared you my rival, the accomplishment of beating you alone, Championship Title be dammed, would be worth literal gold. You're an actual amazing cook, and you can read the room like the best of them. There's more too, so don't you ever say there's nothing to you, Leon. I see all of it everyday, and I hope to for many days to come." 

Raihan panted after that stream of words, leaving Leon absolutely speechless. His golden eyes were wide open, sparkling with genuine awe, a deep red forming in his cheeks. More tears began to fall, but were accompanied by a smile full of relief and happiness, and simply fell forward into Raihan's arms, embracing him tightly while he returned it, his large hands hugging him securely. 

The sinking pit and the anxiety didn't dissapear overnight. However, bit by bit with Raihan's help, and soon his family's, he found himself becoming more stable and began processing things like he should have been all along. Eventually he returned to work on the Tower which he now called The Battle Tower. Leon truly loved, and never stopped loving Pokémon battles, and more than that, he loved seeing the new generation of trainers become stronger than ever before, and honestly was proud that he was there to witness it, and challenge them to be greater. 

Underneath the fame, unbeatable status, and the crown, he was just Leon. And he was going to be okay. 


End file.
